FOXBORO — Duke Dawson has plenty of experience being his team’s most heavily targeted cornerback, so the Patriots second-round draft pick should be comfortable next season while facing that type of pressure.

Dawson will have an opportunity to start as the Patriots’ slot corner during his rookie season, as long as he can beat out Eric Rowe for that job. And if Dawson can stabilize the slot with Kyle Arrington-like consistency, the Pats would be as steady on the inside lane as they’ve been in years.

“There’s a lot of ground you have to cover (in the slot),” Dawson said Tuesday. “The way I play, I feel like I can help the team any way that I could. Whatever situation they put me in, I’ll try to go out and be the best.”

Dawson has the right pedigree for a defensive back. At Florida, known as “DBU,” he was groomed alongside 2017 second-round picks Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor, who were viewed among the best cornerback tandems in...